kitchen diary of an amateur vegan cook

Tempeh burgers with oven-roasted tomatoes

I was a little dubious about these. I’ve had tempeh twice: once at Millennium Restaurant, where it was fantastic, and once out of package from the supermarket that tasted like a fish’s sweaty butt. Apparently, the key is to boil the tempeh before you do anything else with it. I was also doubtful about the marinade – when I opened the chipotle peppers, the smell REALLY grossed me out. But these were super tasty, and the marinade flavours paired nicely with the avocado and sweet tomatoes. This was another steal from 101 Cookbooks.

Cut the tempeh into thin strips, and add to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 10 mins (this reduces that gross bitter flavour). Whisk the other ingredients together. Lay the tempeh out in a container and pour over the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least a couple of hours). When you’re ready to make the sandwiches, heat a little oil in a pan on med-high and cook the tempeh slices for a few minutes, being careful not to burn it.

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
1/4 oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugarHalve the tomatoes and lay out in a baking dish. Drizzle the oil over, sprinkle with sugar and salt and then gently swish around to get it all coated. Place in a 350 F oven and bake for 45mins.

Assemblage:

6 slices of grainy bread (I had a walnut levain loaf on hand, so I used that – it was delish), toasted
1-2 avocados, soft enough to spread
shredded romaine lettuce
veganaise

Spread each slice of toast with avocado and mayo. For each sandwich: place the lettuce, followed by the tomatoes and some black pepper, then the tempeh.